Star Wars: Burning Shadows
by m1l3swats0n
Summary: Thomas is a human boy from Earth who joins the Jedi Council and has to fight back against the return of the Sith Lords.


Star Wars  
Burning Shadows

Chapter 1  
Selection

The lightsabers clashed. A flurry of blows creating flashes of light left and right. Jackson jumped up into the air and began slashing at Thomas' head. He began parrying them with defensive stances that he had learned from master Antanko. With a controlled force push, he caused Jackson to lose balance and almost drop his lightsaber. Before he could regain his balance, Thomas disarmed him with a quick side slice and pinned him down. Holding the saber to his throat, Thomas smiled.  
"The duel is over. Deactivate your lightsaber youngling." Thomas did as he was told and left the stage and sat down in the stands. He sat next to his best friend, Michal, who was the same age as him. Michal gave Thomas a high five as soon as he sat down.  
"Dude, you kicked his butt."  
"Was there any doubt?"  
"Well considering how much that jerk Jackson sold himself in the cafeteria for the last week or so, I think that the rest of the school would think so." They both laughed.  
"Next match, Michal Jenkins and Faith Insion. Please step forward to the duel arena." Michal got up and picked up his training lightsaber.  
"I won't beat up your girlfriend to badly." he joked.  
"Oh shut up Michal. You know how I feel about those kinds of jokes." Thomas said blushing. Michal laughed, and made his way up to the podium. Thomas wanted Michal to win, but he was to busy gazing in awe at Faith. She was about his age, and was stunningly beautiful. But it wasn't her looks that made Thomas fall for her. It was her heart. A strong heart that glowed radiantly around others that got the attention of Thomas. His thoughts were interupted however, when an enraged Jackson gave him a slight shove in the back.  
"I told you to throw the fight stupid! I gave you ten bucks to throw that match!"  
"Yeah Jackson. Like I'd really just give up a chance to go to the Jedi Council after my Senior year just for a measly ten bucks. What are you, ten? We're not in elementary school any more. Just because you're a senior back home doesn't mean I have to obey every whim of yours at the drop of a hat."  
"Now listen here, just because you, your best friend and my girlfriend are the best juniors at the Jedi academy on Earth doesn't mean that you can be rude to a senior member! I will report you to Master Mike for this."  
"Actually Jackson, I already reported YOU to master Mike. Oh, and that whole thing about you going out with that freshman Minevra, I already told him about that to."  
"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?!"  
"I work at the hardware store, remember? I saw you next door at the restaurant with her. I heard your conversations. I don't think Faith OR the council are going to cut you a break Jackson. So just take a hike." Jackson, furious, pulled out his lightsaber, and took a hack at Thomas. Sensing his motives almost instantly, Thomas jumped out of the way and landed right on the stage, just barely being able to dodge the swinging blades of Faith and Michal.  
"Hey, I know you like these duels Thomas, but this is a bit close don't you think?" Thomas thought Michal said this, but he quickly noticed it was Faith who said that to him. He blushed a bright red when he realized who it was.  
"Well, um... you see..." He was interrupted by a rage driven Jackson charging onto the stage. Using the force, Thomas managed to grab one of the instructors lightsabers and activate it in time to keep Jackson from hurting him or the other two on the stage. Fighting back against his fury of blows, Thomas held his own against Jackson, while also trying to block out the chanting from the crowd and the rambling yells of his opponent. It was about to be disrupted by the Jedi Council members in the room when something unexpected happened. Thomas seemed to reach out with the force and managed to lift Jackson straight up into the air. When it looked like Jackson was just going to break free like every force-sensitive person would, Jackson couldn't break free. Thomas threw him to the ground and stole Jackson's lightsaber before he could react. The masters were stunned. When they regained their senses, Jackson had stolen a different lightsaber. They were about to rush onto the stage to stop the conflict, but one of the senior Jedi council members held them back. The battle clashed still, and Michal and Faith jumped into the battle. Michal fighting by Thomas' side, with Faith at the side of Jackson.  
"Faith, you don't deserve him. He's been cheating on you. He's been seeeing Minevra behind your back."  
"Please Thomas. I always knew you had a crush on me." Thomas took a few steps backwards, causing Jackson to pin him on the ground.  
"She's not going to believe you simpleton. Just because you feel like you are 'mr. right', you can't win this battle. Faith is mine, as well as Minevra. You can't win. Submit."  
"Um...Jackson? I'm standing right behind you." Jackson whirled around and began slashing at Faith, forcing her into a defensive position.  
"How could you?! I wasn't good enough for you?!"  
"Fool. Nobody is good enough for me. I just wanted you. And when I got bored, I decided I wanted Minevra. I no longer need you. Now die." He then used a force push to knock her back off her feet, causing her to lose her lightsaber in the process. She lay helpless on the ground as Jackson went in for the kill. But as his lightsaber swung down, they stopped in mid-air. Faith could see that he was struggling to try and move his arms, like he no longer had control of his actions. She assumed that one of the Jedi masters had stopped him, but was shocked to discover that it was Thomas who had rendered his attack useless.  
"You can take me down, cut me, slice me, hurt me in any way possible Jackson, but I swear, you will not harm one hair on that woman's head!" Thomas yelled as he ripped Jackson's lightsaber from his hand. The Jedi masters decided it was time to put an end to this, and restrained Jackson.  
"Jackson Murton of Earth, you are hereby removed from the Jedi academy and will face punishment back on your homeworld." The Jedi guards took him to a nearby shuttle to take him to a transport ship back to Earth. As Thomas was being congratulated and thanked left and right, he noticed Faith on the ground still, with tears in her eyes. He brushed aside all the people and made his way towards her. They were about to follow him when Michal got in their way.  
"Let them be people. They've both been through a lot." Thomas sat himself down next to her, and comforted her. She was bawling. She didn't care that there were other people looking right at her. She just had her heart ripped out of her in an instant. She didn't care that Thomas was the only one there to comfort her, she just cried. As soon as she was done, the two of them looked up to see Master Yenzin standing above them with Michal at his left side.  
"You both did well here today. And this tournament is no longer necessary. To Michal and Faith, the Council offers you both full ride scholarships into the Jedi University. And to young Thomas here, we offer you a place in the Jedi Order as soon as you graduate high school back on your own world." Thomas was stunned. He was accepted into the Order just like that? He was about to immediately agree, then had second thoughts.  
"You are troubled young Watson. Perhaps you wish to take some time to think about all of this?"  
"Thank you Master. I would like that."  
"Just so you are aware, if you do wish to go through the University, we are prepared to offer you a full-ride scholarship as well. Let the force guide you in this decision."  
"Thank you master." Thomas shuddered a little bit at this. The group left the arena and the next group entered after them. Thomas and Michal made their way to the shuttle back to Earth and grabbed seats next to one another. Michal bumped Thomas' fist once the shuttle lifted off.  
"Dude...you kicked Jackson's butt. And you got accepted into the Jedi Council!"  
"Yeah...I can hardly believe it myself. I just don't know..."  
"Don't know what?! Whether or not you should take the best opportunity ever presented to you in your life?! Dude, this has been your DREAM to join the Council. Why wouldn't you want to join right away?!"  
"It's your dream too man. And didn't we promise that we would join the Jedi Council together and become some of the best Jedi's?"  
"We were only children then. Dude, if you have a chance to realize your dream, then take it!"  
"I know I should, but dude, you're my best friend. I should really consider this decision. And it's not just that. I also think I could become a better Jedi through the experience at the University. I just need time to think and pray about it."  
"Still holding on to that religion of yours Thomas? The Force is real. Give up your silly Earthly superstition."  
"Superstition? Really Michal? If it were superstition, and the Force is the ultimate ruler of this universe as they all say, then why is Earth the only known planet to keep people from using the force? Just because the rest of the galaxy thinks that it is something to be worshiped doesn't mean I do."  
"So even though it seems to be an accepted truth to everybody, you still don't believe in it."  
"Pretty much yeah."  
"Oh. Okay."

Chapter 2  
The Earth

The shuttle finally landed at the Columbus Space Port after a twenty minute flight. The automated flight attendant came on and sent a trash collection droid to collect all the small complementary drink cups that nobody really drank at all. Once the ship landed, it was about three in the afternoon, and the high school classes had just let out for the day, and some of them were heading out to the ships to leave the planet. Thomas and Michal got to their cars in the parking lot and said goodbye. Thomas was about to pull out of the lot when he noticed Faith walking very slowly. He pulled up next to her and rolled down his window.  
"Hey, you need a lift back home?"  
"I'm good. My mom is going to pick me up in a few minutes. Thanks though."  
"Okay. Take care. And, I'm sorry about earlier."  
"What do you need to be sorry for? It wasn't your fault that my boyfriend turns out to be a cheating scumbag and tried to kill me and... and..." Thomas could tell she was trying to hold back tears.  
"All right Faith. I'll go. If you ever need to talk to somebody, you know where I live."  
"Hard not to. I can see your backyard from my room." Thomas laughed a little bit at that, then drove off. Faith's family lived in the house right behind Thomas' due to the fact that her grandparents lived right next to his home. He drove across the old highways and roads under gray skies that looked like nothing more than smog. He finally got back to his house and unlocked the door. His father was still at his job and his mother was passed out on the couch. His father was a bank teller for the Intergalactic Bank which meant he usually had a gun pointed at his head every other day. His mother was a struggling grade school teacher who made most of the families income since father's pay was always being withheld to compensate the stolen money. Thomas put his Jedi equipment on his bed and grabbed his high school stuff. While he was at the Jedi Academy, he was still required to complete a normal High School education, which meant taking classes around four in the afternoon to 10 at night. Thomas gave his mother a kiss, made sure that dinner wouldn't burn, grabbed a power bar, and made his way back to the car. He looked over at Faith's house. He didn't know what was going on in there, but he assumed she was crying. He wanted to comfort her, but he knew this rough road ahead for her should not have anyone interfering. He hopped into his old clunker of a car and drove off. Ever since Earth became a part of the Republic, the planet economically and environmentally died off as people with enough money moved off world to live a better life. Earth had nothing to offer when the Republic landed, so it became a slums planet. Not just because of their lack of technological advancement, but also because the magnetic field of Earth inhibited anyone on the planet from using the force. Because of that, Jedi ambassadors come to Earth every year and take a midi-chlorian test on the high school freshmen to see if they are able to use the force when they venture beyond the magnetic field of Earth. Thomas' class was an exceptional group of students setting a record for the most Earth students to ever enter the Jedi Academy. Thomas finally rolled up to the school and locked his car, and hoped that some bum wouldn't break his window and find nothing for the millionth time. His first class that day was history with the most boring teacher in the world. He literally taught the exact same way as the teacher from Ferris Beuller's Day Off.

"In 2034, the planet Earth was visited by, anyone? Anyone? The Galactic Republic. They landed in New York City, London, and, anyone know the third city? Anyone? Moscow, Russia. Does anyone know the reason why they landed on Earth? Anyone? To free a captive alien Jedi that the old United Nations had hidden from the media and the world. Does anyone know why they stopped? Anyone? Because the Earth formed a pact with them that they would give the Jedi back if they let the Earth in on the Republic Council. As time went on, does anyone know what we soon discovered? Anyone? That the original Star Wars trilogy was actually a dramatic re-telling of historic documents that were found by George Lucas out in the desert. Making all of the spin-offs and sequels completely irrelevant, as well as the dramatic version all together. Does anyone know the actual story? Anyone? Anakin Skywaker never lived on Tatooine, but rather grew up on Alderann, and he also had a brother. While Anakin turned to the dark side, his brother Owen was a Jedi, but died by the hands of Palpatine during his coup of the old Republic. The Sith were never so constrained by the presumed rule of two, but rather could form large groups of Sith in order to counteract the Jedi. When Luke Skywalker became of age, his father Owen trained him to be a Jedi, he joined the Jedi Rebellion of the last of the Jedi to fight against the Sith Regime. When he confronted Darth Vader, or Anakin Skywalker, he didn't hesitate on killing him, then destroyed the Emperor. Does anybody know how the nerds at the time reacted? Anyone? They were upset because they thought that doing such things meant the person was to turn to the dark side since at the time Earth didn't know the true nature of the Force. Does anyone not know the true power of the Force? Anyone?"

Nobody answered any of the teachers questions the entire class. When the ending bell rang for the last time that day, Thomas gratefully packed all of his stuff, then drove back home. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he noticed Faith again, slowly walking towards her mother's car with a sad look on her face. He was tempted again to try and talk to her, but let her be. He pulled into his driveway, and locked the car in the flimsy garage for the night. As he walked into his house, he saw that his mother had gotten up and was crying her eyes out. Thomas rushed over to her to find out what was the matter. When she pointed to the telephone, he immediately went to the most recent voice mail.

"Mrs. Watson, we at the Intergalactic Bank regret to inform you that your husband has been shot by a criminal during a bank robbery today. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and you can expect a compensation check coming in the mail soon for services rendered by your husband. Thank you for choosing the Intergalactic Bank." Thomas threw the phone against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.  
"Those JERKS! Treating him as just another lost droid or something. He may not have meant a lot to them, but he was my FATHER!" He raged for a few minutes more, then collapsed into tears with his mother. They both fell asleep on the couch, not waking up until nine in the morning. Thomas was late for his training at the Jedi Academy, and his mother was late for another day of teaching. Neither of them cared. They both stayed home wallowing in their own misery and pain. Around three in the afternoon, Thomas decided to take a walk. He went down to the creek close to his house. It was one of the few streams that hadn't been overrun with pollution yet. He always came here to clear his mind and pray. His family was one of the last few who still believed in Christianity rather than in the Force. He always wondered sometimes if God would be able to forgive a whole planet for turning their backs on him, and neglecting the planet he gave to them. Thomas sat on the edge of the bank, lost in his thoughts.  
"Hey man. I didn't see you at the academy today. What happened? You get sick or something? Or maybe you just don't like me anymore?" Thomas turned around to learn the face of the mysterious sarcastic voice. It was Michal, having just gotten back from his day at the Jedi Academy.  
"Not today Michal."  
"Aw... what's wrong? Did Faith make you feel bad about yourself again? Or maybe you..."  
"MY FATHER IS DEAD MICHAL!" Thomas yelled while getting up quickly. "SO SHUT YOUR TRAP RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME..." Michal immediately dropped the sarcastic look on his face and now wore one that was a mix between shock and sadness.  
"Dude...you're serious? Holy crud, I am an inconsiderate jerk. I am so sorry."  
"No, you didn't know. I had no right to snap at you." Thomas said as he sat back down. Michal sat down next to him on the shore.  
"Don't give me that crud. You told me to stop bugging you, and I persisted. I'm sorry man."  
"Thanks dude. It's all right. We've been friends for years. If I didn't forgive you now, then you didn't deserve to forgive me for bugging you when your mom died."  
"Thanks man. And again, I'm really sorry." They sat there on the banks of the creek for a few minutes without saying a word.  
"Dude, if your mom starts dating my dad, our friendship is officially over." Michal said trying to lighten the mood. To this Thomas laughed a little bit, but still felt a bit down. The two friends gave each other a hug, then made their way back to their homes. As Thomas made his way back up the hill, he noticed Faith sitting on an old tree stump.  
"You doing okay?"  
"Yeah I'm doing just great. Yesterday was the best day of my life. I don't know how it could get any better." she said sarcastically. Thomas sat himself down next to the stump even though the ground was a bit damp.  
"Just leave me alone Thomas. Please, just leave me be."  
"Believe me, I know the pain that life brings. Especially yesterday night. My father was killed in a bank robbery yesterday." Faith was silent for a moment, looking down at the ground.  
"I'm sorry."  
"And I'm sorry for what happened to you yesterday at the academy. I wished it weren't true. But what you said, how long have you known that I liked you?"  
"Oh, I'd say since the beginning of the year."  
"That obvious huh?"  
"Yeah. You really were pathetic."  
"Believe me, I know." They laughed a little bit, then the awkwardness set in.  
"Thomas, you don't think that just because I just broke up with Jackson means that you can ask me out, do you?"  
"Of course not. I don't think it would be wise considering what just happened to you yesterday. I am a patient man, and I am willing to wait. When you get over it, and you feel like you would be happier with someone else, then I understand completely. So please, take your time." Faith smiled, then walked off. Thomas rose to his feet, and made his way back to his house. As he got inside, he found his mother, still sitting on the couch, not having moved since the probably got the news of her husbands death. He sat himself down next to her, letting her know he was there. He told her about his chance of being accepted into the Jedi Council, and that he was still unsure. She just sat there, completely unaware of anything he said. Thomas got up, then went up to his room. It wasn't much, just a dinky little room that had belonged to one of his ancestors. The only reason they had this house was because it was in the family, so they were lucky enough to have a roof over their heads unlike most people on Earth. He stared long and hard at a picture of his family and Michal's family all having a good time for a change. When they were children, Thomas' father made enough money to support all of them. Now, he was gone, the world as he knew it had gone off and died in a hole, and everybody from Earth to the Republic thought he was crazy for still believing in Christ. As he looked out the window, he saw the sky part for a split second revealing some blue sky, but then it just closed right back up again. Everything on this planet seemed to be dead. He didn't know what to do. If he joined the Council, then he could get off this rotting planet and do something with his life. If he declined, he would first have to complete another year of high school, which meant another year on this planet. But it also meant another year with his best friend and the woman he cared about. Also, with his mom struggling the way she was, she would need him there to support her. Then he decided to pray about it, and after a good night's sleep, he made his decision.

Chapter 3

Initiation

The shuttle landed on Coruscant after a flight which seemed like ages. He was a nervous wreck. Would they be okay with his decision? Or would they scoff him and call him a fool? The representative of the Jedi Council was there to welcome him. Thomas got into the transport and they made their way to the Jedi Temple, the place where all Jedi lived as they served the galaxy. Thomas was directed to the chamber of the high council of Jedi, and saw all the famous Jedi that he had read about all sitting in their chairs in a windowless room. He recognized one of these Jedi's as master Elzan, a descendant of the famous Jedi master Yoda.  
"Sit down, you may young one." He said as a chair rose out of the floor in the center of the room. Thomas sat himself down and was very nervous about how they would react.  
"Have you decided an answer to our offer Mr. Watson?" Asked one of the masters.  
"Gentlemen, I have made my decision. I am going to give up being a Jedi." The council was shocked. A few whispers went in between the many of the masters.  
"Reasons, I sense you have for this decision you have given us."  
"Yes master. My father just was murdered by common criminals, and my mother is broken. I need to be there for her, and I can't do that as a member of the Jedi Council or attending the Jedi University. So there you have it. My reason for removing myself from the Jedi Order all together. I hope you understand."  
"Understand, more than you imagine, I do. And also, help you I can young one." Thomas looked up at Elzan.  
"Lived on Earth for many years, I did. Poor my family was. Joined the Council to try and get away from all of it I did, but different you are. Care much about your family you, so much that you are willing to give up all your dreams to support your only family. Let your mother live on Couruscant, the Council will, while live here you will, as a member of the Council. What say you young one?" Thomas was stunned, but not as stunned as the other members of the Council seemed to be. They were all talking about how someone descended from Yoda would live somewhere like Earth, and how he would be so rash to do such a thing without the Council's permission.  
"Random this seems, yes, but lie to you, I do not. Since my great ancestor Master Yoda passed away on Dagobah, move away from that planet, my family did. And since no money had us, stranded we were on slum planets. Forget about us, Luke Skywalker did. And if he rememberd us, long gone from Dagobah we were. Wound up on Earth we did, when find us, the Jedi Council did. Take me and my sister to the Council they did, and when discovered who we were, with honors, they welcomed us. Before that however, died, my dear mother did at the hands of scumbags. Now, this young man with plight similar comes to my doorstep, not leave him out in the cold I will. Young Watson, brought to Coruscant your mother will be. Live a good life here she will, and be a member of the Jedi order, you also will be." Thomas was stunned. Not only did he just have a chance to help his mother at the drop of a hat, but he also got a chance to live out his dream free of worry.  
"Thank you Master Elzan. I will happily take the offer."  
"Now wait a minute...!" One of the other masters interjected.  
"Let it go Kenobi. It would seem that Master Elzan has made up his mind, and I don't think we should go against that." Another master responded. He looked like he wanted to protest more, but he then just sat down very annoyed. Thomas couldn't believe what was happening to him. He was going to be a Jedi.  
"Your master, I will be. Learn the ways of the force, you will, my Padawan."

Thomas was sitting by the creek looking down at the water again like he did the other day. He was extremely happy. His mother was back home packing her things for her move to Coruscant, and said she didn't need his help moving anything so he thought he would spend his last few minutes on Earth at probably the only beautiful thing this world had to offer him as far as nature was concerned. But while it was indeed beautiful, he couldn't help but fiddle with his hair, with his new Padawan hair knot dangling by his head.  
"Dude, you became a Padawan just like that?!" Thomas turned and saw Michal standing right above him.  
"Not just a Padawan, but the Padawan of Master Elzan."  
"Get out!"  
"Yep."  
"Dude, congrats. You earned it. Really."  
"Yeah, but now you've got to live on this dirt world for another couple years."  
"Dude, you deserve this, and you know as well as I do that you mother needs this move."  
"It's not just you I don't want to leave."  
"Dude, Faith will be fine. Just go live your dream. And again, your mom needs this. So don't let friends override family." Thomas gave him a hug, then made his way back to his house to help his mom get to the shuttle.

As they made their way to the personal shuttle that the Jedi Council sent to pick them up, Thomas looked out at the gray skies, realizing that this was most likely the last time he would ever see this planet of his. He wouldn't miss much of the planet itself, but he would miss his friends, some of the places where he had happier memories, and even the creek that had been so fascinating to him for so long. Then again, he would be getting away from the place that took his father away and left him to die at the hands of pollution and criminals.  
"Any regrets Thomas?" his mom asked as they got on the shuttle.  
"I'm more concerned about you. You've lived here longer than I have, and never gone off-world. You sure about this?" His mom smiled a little bit with tears in her eyes.  
"This is tough, but a golden ticket just dropped into my lap. I'm not giving that up." Thomas smiled at the reference to a very old book that she liked to read for a long time. She always loved 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' because she always believed that her family could possibly be as lucky as Charlie was in the story. Maybe it was a miracle. A chance to start new and do something good for the galaxy free of worry about family. As the shuttle lifted off through the atmosphere through the smog cloud barrier, then to the stars, Thomas had no regrets, and knew that one day, he would return, and maybe make it a better place.

Chapter 4

Padawan

Thomas set his belongings down in his new room. He didn't have the best of views, considering that it overlooked the factory parts of the planet, but there was only one part about the room that Thomas cared about. The skylight. From there, he could see a clear blue sky. Something that was extremely rare back on Earth. Sometimes when he went to Courasant, he would do nothing but stare at the clean, beautiful sky. He was lost in his thoughts that he was actually startled when there was a knock on his door.  
"Enter I may, yes?" It was Elzan.  
"Of course master. Let me get the door for you." Thomas made a motion with his hand and opened the door using the force. Master Elzan walked in with his cane at a slow pace.  
"At home, you feel. No regrets, you seem to have."  
"I don't have any regrets master. My mother is happy, and my friends support me fully. Also, I feel like I belong here. Striving for what is right. Helping the Galaxy."  
"Young and full of hope you are, yet naive, you also are."  
"Excuse me master?"  
"Protect the Galaxy, the Council does, yes, but at peace, the Galaxy has been for a millennium. Lazy, the Council has become. Turn their backs to many systems, they do. Puppets of the Republic, they almost have become."  
"Are...forgive the question master...are you one of those people. Like, the one's who are puppets of the Republic?"

"Strong, the Republic's influence is over the Council. But not that strong. Strive to break away from the Republic, few Jedi do. One of those Jedis, I am."  
"But why would the Republic want to supress the Council master?"  
"Elzan, you will call me please. Address me as master you will only in front of the Council."  
"Okay Elzan, I'll be sure to remember that."  
"Answer your question, I will. Afraid the Republic is. Afraid that repeat, history will. Years past, cuased by the Jedi wars were due to the involvement of the Sith Lords. At peace we have been, but a few scrapes, not without."  
"Yes, I read about it in the papers mas...I mean Elzan. A group of Sith attacked a group of businessmen over in the market district."  
"Sith they were, yes, but Lords, they were not."  
"What? Are there other Sith other than Sith Lords?"  
"Yes, but wanted by the Republic they are. No wrong have they committed, but rather, fear them the Republic do. Sith Knights they are called."  
"What sets them apart from Sith Lords Elzan?" Elzan was about to respond when something went off in the pocket of his cloak.  
"Request my presence, the Chancellor has. Continue this discussion later, we will. Meet me in my quarters tonight you will. Yes?"  
"Sure Elzan. I'll be there."  
"Very good. Yes. Very good. And while I am away, train your fighting skills with Master Kenobi you will. Progress, I expect, my young Padawan." Thomas smiled as Elzan made his way out of his room.  
"I will my master."

Thomas made his way past the many different sparring rooms as he saw the many different Jedi Masters and their Padawans training in different lightsaber combat techniques. Every Padawan is trained in every form of saber combat from dual-wield style to two bladed weapons. This is usually done to help Jedi find the advantage against an opponent depending on their style of combat. If an opponent is using dual-wield, then a style that relies solely on speed and keeping the opponent off-balance would be the key. The Jedi Academy didn't really enforce techniques such as this in order to get a fair evaluation of all the different younglings wishing to make it into the University. Thomas found Master Novi Wan Kenobi, waiting impatiently with his arms folded.  
"Padawan, you are late for practice."  
"Late? I was supposed to arrive five minutes _later_ from now."  
"Stupid Earth scum...just get into the training room with me." Master Kenobi opened the door into the room. It was shaped similar to a boxing ring on Earth, but with force fields rather than ropes to keep combatants in. As they made their way into the ring, a droid dropped from the celling with a large assortment of training lightsabers to choose from. Master Kenobi grabbed a single-bladed two handed weapon, then made his way to his corner.  
"So Earth boy, choose your weapon, your fight style, and try to defeat me." Master Kenobi said as he ignited his lightsaber. Thomas was a bit nervous. He wasn't going to just have some kind of crash course to lightsaber training, he was going to go all-out with a Jedi Master right from the get-go. Not know which style he wanted to work with, he decided to just go with what the style the Academy taught him with. He grabbed a green lightsaber with the same qualities as Master Kenobi's. As he ignited his own lightsaber, the droid retreated back to the celling and Master Kenobi charged right at Thomas. Reacting quickly, Thomas used a controlled force push to knock the master off balance. He then rushed towards him, and as Kenobi got his bearings back, he managed to block a vertical slice towards his head.  
"Not bad...for a worm." Kenobi said as he used a skillful move with his lightsaber to push Thomas back. They began sparring for several minutes, each fighter using their skill with a lightsaber and the force to try and gain the upper hand. It was a deadlock for nearly seven minutes when finally, Kenobi disarmed Thomas and pinned him to the ground.  
"Victory is mine, fool. If you can be defeated so easily, then you shouldn't be a Jedi. Earth scum should stay on that rotting planet where they belong! You don't have what it takes to be a Jedi Knight of the Council!"  
"Have the skill, not yet he has." Thomas looked up to see Elzan standing right outside the arena. He also noticed that several Padawans and Masters were looking at them with stunned looks on their faces.  
"But talent, he does. Fought against you for seven minutes he did Kenobi. Never happened this has in the history of the Jedi Order. Perhaps, to quick to judge you are." Elzan used the force to help Thomas back to his feet while Master Kenobi was completely stunned.  
"What...? But...how...me...lose to somebody from EARTH?!"  
"What do you have against Earth anyway Master Kenobi?" Thomas asked.  
"The planet is a trashball, and with it, all the people on it! They don't deserve to be Jedi. They don't even deserve to be a part of the Republic!" Master Kenobi then stormed off out of the Sparring Hall, leaving everybody else to applaud Thomas for his performance.  
"He seems like a nice guy." Thomas remarked.  
"Anger he feels for the planet you and I once called home. The reason for his hate, I know not. It will be fine though. A good Jedi he is, but racial problems, he does have." Thomas and Elzan began walking out of the Sparring Hall back to Elzan's quarters.  
"Shouldn't we be concerned at all master?"  
"Concerned? Why be concerned? Concern leads to mistrust. Mistrust leads to disorder."  
"I just figured, if he is full of rage, doesn't that mean he could be in danger of turning to the Dark Side of the Force?"  
"Have it's dark and powerful sides, the Force does, but there is no difference between Light and Dark when using the Force. Come. Come. Explain to you I will in my chambers."

Chapter 5

Sith Knights

Master Elzan led Thomas back to his quarters. As they entered the room, he touched a panel by his door, pressed a few buttons, and two food plates appeared. One was a bowl of gross-looking swamp food, the other was a pizza.  
"Customary, it is for someone of your age to eat this, yes?" Thomas smiled a little bit.  
"Yeah. Earth teenagers eat swamp grub all the time." Elzan and Thomas laughed at the bad joke, then sat themselves down.  
"All right Elzan, you were saying earlier? About the Sith Knights?"  
"Yes. Yes. Tell you I will. Patience, you must have. Take a few bites of soup I will, then truth, shall I reveal." After about ten minutes of Thomas munching on his pizza and Elzan slowly taking sips and bites of his soup, he began.

"Begin it did, after the destruction of the second Death Star. A group of underground Jedi re-surfaced from hiding, and returned the Jedi Order to the Galaxy. However, revealed they did of a group of those who abandoned the Jedi Order, and started their own order they did. Sith Knights, they called themselves. Believe in doing the right thing they did, however, way of getting it done rose concern. Not through peace and passive actions would peace be gained, but through violence it would be accomplished. Care about the values of the Council, they did. The way it was accomplished, they did not. Like this originally, Lord Sideous was. Believed that his peace would be best for the galaxy, he did. However, went about it the wrong way he did. Began trying to gain more power he did. Destroyed all the Jedi out of fear that they would destroy him he did. Revoked all personal rights and liberties. Enforced a new order he did. An order of fear and control. Strong was his fear. So strong he killed his own apprentice as a message to the young Skywalker. However, survive the experience Lord Vader did. Not to young Skywalker's knowledge this happened. Found the Sith Knights Lord Vader did. Strive for peace, they did, clashed with the Jedi as well sometimes. But when peace returned to the Galaxy, dormant the Sith Knights became. Realized, their dream was. Take a step back, they decided. Help preserve order in the outer rim territories they have recently. Allies, to the Jedi Order, yet enemies to the Repiblic they are."  
"Enemies? Why master?"  
"Fear them, the new chancellor does. Believes end the millennium of peace, they will. Tried he has to shut them down. Protected them, the council has. However, close the chancellor has become to finding the truth. And there is also a fear growing amongst the Jedi and the Sith Knights."  
"A fear of what master?"  
"A fear that rising again, the Sith Lords are. That growing, something is somewhere in the galaxy. Something dark..."  
"Master, I don't think we have too much to worry about. If the Sith Lords do rise again, the Council would be ready for them. And the Sith Knights would likely be willing to help us out against them."  
"More to the fear there is young one. Betrayed, the Sith Knights think they are. By one of their own who knows their secrets. Wipe them out, he or she could with one swift stroke. Cautious, we must be. A danger to us all, this traitor would be. And already in danger they are from the persecution of the Republic." Thomas sat on the edge of his table in a bit of a daze. Sith Kinghts? Sith Lords? Corrupt government? It seemed like the world was a lot more dangerous than even Earth was.  
"Unrest, I sense in you. Worry, you should not. Come out, the truth will. And with the council's help, recognized the Sith Knights will be. For now, focus on your training we will."

"Are you sure Elzan? You seem to have your hands tied at the moment."  
"If tied, my hands are, then use my mind to do things, I will. Come. Come. Much to complete, we must. Start you with forms of combat I will. Then meditation in the gardens we shall. Much to be done, there is, but faith in you, I have. Pass the trials with ease you will, when the time comes." Elzan made his way out of his room. Thomas smiled, and followed in suit.

Chapter 6

1.5 years later

"Thomas! You son of a gun! How long has it been?!" Michal rushed over and embraced his friend in a bear hug.  
"Well my back thinks it hasn't been long enough." Thomas said without much breath beneath his friends crushing hug.  
"Oops. Sorry man." Michal said as he released his hold on his friend.  
"Geez, and here I thought university life would soften you up."  
"Are you kidding?! Training in the force, training in lightsaber combat, living a carefree life on campus, what's not to like?!"  
"Well for starters the dorm rooms stink."  
"Oh..." Michal said in a girly voice, "are you Ms. Prim and Proper now? Why don't you start telling me to wash my robe and clean my bed while your at it?"  
"Because if your master ends up being a woman, then she just might telling you to do all that stuff."  
"Oh please. It's not like I have to obey EVERYTHING my master tells me."  
"Actually, you usually do." Michal's smile drooped a little bit after hearing this.  
"Maybe I won't try to graduate early after all." They both laughed, and sat themselves down in one of the dorms reserved for Friday night movies and video games. They started playing on a really old console for a few hours.  
"So how are classes here?"  
"Fine. Not that interesting. Basically the same things they threw in our faces during High School. The Jedi training parts are worth it though. We are trained in just about all forms of combat, and are shown ways to use the force in ways we never thought we could use before."  
"You mean using the force to button mash in this particular game like you are doing right now?"  
"Oh come on! How did you figure me out?!"  
"Simple. You use the force like a child bashes a drum. I on the other hand..." A giant PLAYER 2 WINS message popped up on the screen and Michal tossed his controller on the floor.  
"Dude, I should be ticked about how you cheated to beat me, but how the heck did you hide the fact that you WERE cheating from me?!"  
"Experience, and a strong master. Boom. Done."  
"Oho, a challenge, is it? How about we take this outside?"  
"Sure, but I don't think we should risk hurting each other. Give me a second." Thomas tapped a few buttons on his wrist watch and a droid with training lightsabers appeared right outside the window.  
"Choose your weapons wisely my friend. I have found my prefered style of combat. Time for you to choose yours." Thomas said as he grabbed two single-handed weapons and jumped out the window. Michal grabbed a double-bladed lightsaber and followed in suit. The droid activated a saftey force field to make sure that nobody jumped in and interrupted them.  
"Oh come on Thomas. Where's the fun if there aren't people in the way?"  
"Do you realize what my master would do to me if I didn't play by the rules?!"  
"Dude, you've been working with for the last year and a half. I think that he might be a bit more relaxed about this situation."  
"Whatever dude. Lets fight." The two of them ignited their blades, and began. The fight only lasted about 30 seconds. Thomas used his lightsabers to disarm his opponent and pin him down.  
"Luck, luck, luck. All luck." Michal kept saying.  
"Dude, I'm a Jedi Padawan. You don't even have your University degree yet. You aren't going to catch up to me any time soon." Thomas said as he deactivated his lightsabers and returned them to the droid. Michal got up and returned his blade as well.  
"Say Thomas, why go with a dual-wield style anyways? I figured that you would have wanted to go with a two-handed blade rather than dual-wield. I mean, since your great-grandfather used that style." Thomas fell silent for a few seconds, and clenched his right hand into a fist.  
"You don't ever bring up my ancestors again. You hear me?! We've established this Michal."  
"Do'h. Sorry man. Hey, why don't we forget about that and go get some lunch." Thomas shook it off and decided to go with him to the University cafeteria. They grabbed a few trays of food and sat themselves down with a group of Michal's friends. They chatted up sports, women, speeders, and all that good stuff while Thomas sat there observing everything. Ever since he had been named a Padawan about a year and a half ago, he had been having the time of his life. Not doing anything crazy or fancy like University students, but he was helping people and learning about the world around him in a way he had never seen it before. Through just doing every day odd jobs to help people around him, he felt accomplished. Like he had found his calling in life. He just wanted to do good for the world no matter what people said or thought. And he was happy. He didn't need all the craziness of University students trying to squeeze out as much of their youth as they had left before growing up. He just needed something in life to make him feel like he made a difference. All of his superiors were saying that he would possibly become one of the greatest Jedi Knights of all time, all except for Master Kenobi. But he didn't dwell on that. Nor did he dwell on whatever positive words were coming from everybody else. To him, all that mattered was that he was the best person he could be no matter what happened to him. As his friends were talking, he noticed somebody familiar walking towards a table with a guy he had never met before.

"Faith Insion! Is that you?!"  
"Thomas?! It has been a while!" They walked over to each other and chatted each other up for a bit, catching up on life.  
"So, looks like your new relationship is flourishing. You two have been dating for what, about eight months now? Looks like you two are happy."  
"Yeah, we are happy. I mean, after what happened almost two years ago, I never thought I would love again and my life was over, blah blah blah. I mean, I'm happy and I feel like this relationship is going well."  
"Well good for you! Glad to see things are going well." Thomas noticed that his friends were calling him back to the table and they said their goodbyes.  
"Hey, Thomas?" Faith said to him as he turned to leave, "Ever think that we could have gone anywhere?"  
"What's done is done Faith. If we had both joined the Council at the same time, than maybe. But I think this is for the best. You seem happy with who you are with, and I'm enjoying my life. I mean, not much to worry about. God has been good to us, and I am thankful. Now if you will excuse me, my friends are making pathetic attempts to drag me back to the table using the force, and I don't want to disappoint them for to long." he said with a chuckle. As they walked off, Thomas was thinking more deeply about the last question she had asked him. Even after his visit with Michal was done, he still pondered it. All the way back to his room. As night fell, he said into the emptyness to no one in particular,  
"But sometimes, I wish it had gone somewhere..."

Chapter 7

Something Amiss

Thomas was sitting at the local diner on Courascant. He was having a large pizza, a food that had become trendy across the galaxy during the last year. Even though it was a food on Earth for the last 300 years or so. As he was eating his last slice, he noticed a skirmish going on by the counter. A robed figure was hassling the serving droid and the owner had come out to try and stop anything from happening. It started out as a verbal argument, then things got dangerous when the robed figure shot force lightning out of his hand. Thomas jumped straight up out of his seat and activated one of his lightsabers right next to the figures neck.  
"Sir, I am positive that there can be some sort of peaceful solution to this problem."  
"Your peace, Jedi?" The figure turned and used a force push on Thomas and knocked him back against the wall. Thomas regained enough focus to notice the strange figure run out the side door. He chased after him, having to shove a few people out of the way using the force to do so, then made his way to the streets. He chased the strange figure through many different crowds and shopping areas. When he finally caught up to him, the figure whirled around and ignited a lightsaber. Thomas just barely managed to use a force-jump to dodge the attack, then grabbed his two lightsabers from his hilt. His opponent used a curved lightsaber hilt, but held his blade backwards so that the beam was behind his back. The blade was colored red. A lightsaber color that Thomas had never seen before. He lunged forward, but the figure jumped out of the way and over the edge of the guardrail that separated the ship traffic from normal walking traffic. Thomas quickly jumped over the edge in pursuit, and landed right on top of a passing ship. He managed to work his way through the maze of fast moving cars using the force to sense the vehicles and timing his jumps with relative ease. He caught up to his opponent once again and didn't wait until his opponent lashed out at him. The two of them went back and forth with their lightsabers from vehicle to vehicle. Thomas seemed to have the upper hand, until the strange figure landed on top of a ship, then vanished inside a porthole. As Thomas landed on top of the same ship, it did a barrel roll and shook him off. Thomas kicked himself as he fell onto a slow moving delivery ship for falling for an obvious trap. And he kicked himself even more when he realized he forgot to make a mental note of what the vehicle's license plate number was or what the vehicle make was.

"A red lightsaber you say, Padawan Watson?"  
"Yes my lord. The figure wielded a red lightsaber and wore a hood. He jumped onto a ship that was about five yards wide and 10 yards long. My lord, I think that we should investigate this more deeply."  
"Agree with my apprentice I do, Chancellor Sempti." Thomas and Elzan were in the office of the Supreme Chancellor under orders from the Jedi Council. They believed that something like this should be alerted to the state.  
"We will take no action Master Elzan." The Chancellor said. "That is exactly what the Sith Knights would want us to do."  
"The Sith Knights? Not to be rude you honor, but I don't think they are the type of people to lash out in public."  
"That's just what they want you to think!" The Chancellor snapped. "If they really wish for peace, then they should stop hiding in the shadows, avoiding the law. They just think they are so powerful, but they won't succeed. I will ignore them for the time being. But if they act again, I will issue an arrest warrant for any known member of the Sith Knights!"  
"But my lord...!"  
"Enough, my Padawan. Take our leave, we shall." Thomas was about to protest, but Elzan gave him a look telling him to let it go.  
"Yes Master."  
"Thank you we do, for your time Chancellor Sempti."  
"Yes, yes. Thank you Master Elzan."

"Master, why did you just shrug off this issue and let the Chancellor have his way?! This needs to be investigated immediately!"  
"Right you are, my Padawan. But have power over the Jedi Council, the Chancellor does. Patient, we must be. Let the Sith Knights handle the investigation, we will." Thomas had a look of confusion on his face.  
"Master, wouldn't doing something like that give the Chancellor the reason he is looking for to issue an arrest warrant? And besides, if the Sith Knights are afraid that they have been infiltrated by Sith Lords, don't you think that knowing the search is going on, and that they would lay low and find ways to get the Sith Knights in trouble in the Chancellors eyes?" Elzan pondered this for a few minutes, then made his way over to the Jedi Archives. Thomas followed him, but at the doors, Elzan said,  
"Wait for me in my room, you will. Research something I must."  
"Of course Master." Thomas said. He turned to go to Elzan's room, but he saw Master Kenobi standing right behind him, with a look that seemed very annoyed.  
"Something I can help you with Master?" Thomas asked.  
"The Council wishes to see you for some reason. Follow me." Thomas followed, and was led into the Council meeting room. He stood in the center and several masters entered the room. One of those Jedi's was Master Yenzin. He started off the meeting by sounding off the other Masters. As soon as that was complete he said,  
"Padawan Watson, you have been brought here today because we believe that you are ready for the final test to become a Jedi Knight. Possibly even a Jedi Master one day." Thomas was shocked. But also slightly confused.  
"Master...I am honored. But if I am not mistaken, isn't the Master the one who declares a Padawan ready for the final test?"  
"Yeah, he's right! After all, he shouldn't deserve to be a Jedi Knight!" Master Kenobi shouted out.  
"Master Kenobi, we understand your vendetta against Earth, but we here on the Council still think that your ideals are racist and outdated. Just please stay out of this decision." Master Kenobi sank deeper into his chair, slightly annoyed. Master Yenzin stood up to say something when the door opened.  
"Requested you for the test, I did Padawan." Thomas turned around and found Master Elzan standing right behind him.  
"Elz...I mean Master, are you sure about this?"  
"Rising again, the Sith Lords are I fear. All the help we can get, we need. This way, grow stronger in the force you will, and train Padawans of your own, you will. Alongside that, more allies into the Jedi Order, we will gain." Thomas was a bit surprised, but it did make sense to him a little bit.  
"Strength in numbers, correct Master?"  
"Correct you are, my young Padawan. Now, prepare for the test you must." Thomas was excused from the Council room to prepare for the test the next day. As he sat in his room, he looked out the window. It was a clear and beautiful day, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds as far as the eye could see. He felt at peace here. He didn't care about the test. He lost himself in his thoughts about the beauty of the sky and that it seemed impossible for something like this to last this long without turning gray from pollution. Thomas then thought of how his dream to be a Jedi seemed like it was going to be short lived. How he nearly flunked out of school at a young age, and how he even turned down a job offer from the Jedi Council itself. Now, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop him. He sat down on his bed with a big smile, and called up Michal to tell him the news. 

"Dude! That is awesome! Congrats man!" Michal yelled over the phone.  
"Don't congratulate me yet man. I still have to pass the test first."  
"Oh come on man. Don't tell me that some jerk by the name of, oh, I don't know, Jackson is saying that you will lose again." They both started cracking up. They talked a bit about life and what was going on since they had seen each other (apart from todays news of course), and then said their goodbyes. Thomas used the force to put the phone away when he sensed a presence at his door.  
"Come in Master Elzan. Please." The door slid open and Elzan walked in and sat himself down on the guest chair.  
"Like brothers, you and your friend seem to be."  
"We both grew up together Master Elzan. We had each others backs the whole way through our life."  
"Important that is to a friendship that is. Perhaps one day, become your student he will."  
"My student?! Not to question anything Master, but isn't it considered a risk for a Jedi Master to take in somebody they already know very well as a Padawan?"  
"True that is, but I believe that if trust, the Master and the Padawan have from the beginning, more effective and beneficial the training is. Time will tell what lies ahead for the council, but for now, wait and prepare we will. The Sith Lords will come to us. In their nature, it is. Patience, we must have."  
"Of course Master." Thomas said. Master Elzan took his leave, and Thomas stared out the window again for a long time, until he realized it, he was fast asleep.

"Your agent nearly blew everything to the Jedi Council today! It was almost alerted to the state! What was that fool doing fighting a Jedi in public?!"  
"Calm down. As far as the Jedi and the state know, it was a rouge Sith Knight. We don't have to worry. Our numbers are growing, and with our parasite inside the Sith Knights, we will gain more and more followers in time for the day of reckoning. I trust that you have prepared the the scapegoat?"  
"Yes you fool yes. Just keep your end of the bargain."  
"But of course. The outer rim territories will be taken over and ruled us and we don't receive any resistance from the Jedi or the Republic."  
"I'm beginning to think that you won't stop there."  
"Maybe, maybe not. But do you really want to start a war now? After generations of peace?!"  
"...no..."

Chapter 8

Lurking Shadows

Thomas sat himself down in the meeting room. It was an empty room with a chair in the center and no windows. He had completed the last test, and was waiting for his results. He was sure he passed, but he didn't know what rank he would receive. Each Jedi when they become a knight are assigned a specific lightsaber color depending on their combat skills, their skills with the force, and their skill with things like espionage. Thomas figured that he didn't do that well with espionage as he did the other two fields. He figured he might be given a blue lightsaber due to his proficiency with a lightsaber and combat, but he always thought that having a green lightsaber would be cool. But green lightsabers went to Jedi who used the force more than lightsaber combat. And since he had been very invested in lightsaber combat rather than force training, he figured he would get a blue lightsaber. The door opened and the review committee entered the room. One of them had a case in his hand. Thomas immediately guessed what it was, but stayed in his seat.  
"Thomas Watson, by the judgement of the council, and by the will of the force, you have been named a Jedi Knight of the Republic." They opened the case and revealed two lightsaber hilts. Thomas had put in a request for his desired style of combat. He picked them up and ignited them. They were both green. Thomas was very surprised.  
"You are indeed very skilled using a lightsaber, but when you took the force training test, you shattered just about every record held previous. Therefore, your lightsaber is the color of a Jedi Guardian. Congratulations, Jedi Knight Watson." Thomas was surprised. Not shocked, he figured he would pass the test, but it was great that he was one of the stronger force users in the Jedi Order. He was making his way back to his room, when he decided to take a detour and train in the real lightsaber training area. There were a few select training chambers off limits to Padawans so that they could focus on what their masters wanted them to learn. Now, he had a chance to brush up on areas he struggled with as well as learn some new tricks of his own. Since he was using his real lightsabers for the training, he was forced to fight a droid with specific lightsaber training settings. It was programed to know all studied forms of lightsaber combat to help teach the Jedi about the weaknesses of the opponents technique and their own technique. Thomas decided to go up against a setting that he was weakest against. A dual-wield double-bladed style on the hardest level. He practiced against this droid for a few minutes, winning a few duels but losing most of them. As he stepped out of the training room, one of the messenger droids was waiting for him.  
"Greetings, Jedi Watson. I bring a message for you from the High Council." The droid spat out a holo-disc which was about as big as the palm of his hand. He turned it on and Master Mike appeared into existence.  
"Thomas. First of all, let me say congratulations for officially becoming a Jedi Knight today. And second, let me be the first to give you your first mission! This assignment will be in the outer-rim territories, and we are preparing your new Jedi Fighter for this specific mission. Please report to docking bay 13 for your ship, and mission details." The disc deactivated, and Thomas returned it to the droid. The droid flew off in search of it's next objective, while Thomas quickly ran to Docking bay 13.

"Thomas. Glad to see you made it so quickly." Thomas was gasping for breath and managed to finally say,  
"Of...course...Master Ful...Fulson."  
"Catch your breath young one. You aren't leaving just yet. Your ship is still being prepared, so you will have time to get any belongings you need for your trip. Mainly a disguise, and some money for the specific planet you are going to."  
"Please tell me I'm not going to Tatooine." Master Fulson laughed, then shook his head.  
"No, you will be going to the planet Estanoki. A plains type of planet that has been seeing a lot of Sith Knights lately. The Chancellor wished them exterminated, since he thinks that they are a threat, but the Council thinks that bringing them back here and protecting them would be the best course of action until the Chancellor is removed from office."  
"So, you want me to bring them back in a small tiny little fighter ship?"  
"Goodness, no. We have already planned for that. Your job is to go to Estanoki, get in contact with these Sith Knights, then signal the Council and we will come pick them up and bring them back here. We figure you will be there for about a week, so take what you need. Leave your robe behind, we don't want you attracting any unwanted attention."  
"All right. I know just the outfit."

"Thomas stepped out of his ship wearing a faded Batman t-shirt and some baggy pants. His research showed that Estanoki was mainly populated by humans from Earth who were rich enough to not live on Earth but poor enough to be stuck in the outer-rim territories. As he made his way into the city, he made sure that his lightsabers cloaking mechanism was activated and that he knew where he was going. The Jedi Council had set him up with a room at a nearby hotel where he could get done what he needed to. As he approached the hotel, he noticed a giant protest going on just outside the Couruscant Embassy. It was filled with people carrying signs that said things like,  
"SITH KNIGHTS PROTECT US! CHANCELLOR SEMPTI PROTECTS THE 1%!" And things like,  
"WE NEED PROTECTION, NOT ANOTHER STUPID HATE SPEECH!" Thomas began to realize how much the outer rim territories resented the lack of attention to their planets. The local law enforcement wasn't stopping the protest, they were taking part in it. He was about to enter his hotel when a figure in a black robe jumped down from the roof of one of the buildings. He landed among the crowd and they parted. When he had enough space, the figure ignited a red lightsaber. Thomas panicked for a second and grabbed the hilts of his own lightsabers, but stopped when he realized that the crowd was actually cheering for this person. He then realized that this person was one of the Sith Knights that he was looking for. He was going to approach him, but he realized that if he did right then, the mob might lash out at him. So he quickly ran into the hotel while the Sith Kinght was speaking, dropped his stuff of then ran onto the roof. He got there as the Sith Knight was still talking. He was able to hear every word.  
"The Republic has blamed us for every little thing! The Republic thinks we are nothing more than common criminals! But we aren't! We protect those who the Republic ignores! We stand strong against real criminals across the outer-rim territories! We are the Sith Knights! And we stand for the outer-rim territories! It is time we took a stand! ARE YOU WITH ME?!" There was a loud cheer from the crowd, and they began to march on the embassy. Thomas couldn't believe what he was seeing. A Sith Knight betraying the Republic? He was about to jump down and face the enemy when three more robed figures jumped down from a nearby roof and all ignited red lightsabers.  
"Sith Knight Tevrez! You are out of place of the rules of the Sith Knight Order. You are to disperse these people and hand in your lightsaber immediately."  
"Look around you fools. These people don't want the republic. They want us, the Sith, to lead them. Not some corrupt Chancellor or elected official. They want us. They want out power. They want us to lead them. This is our time."  
"Listen to you. Acting like a fool. We don't strive for control, we strive for peace. Put down your weapon. Prove you are still loyal to our code." There was a bit of a silence amongst the crowd, then out of the crowd came two more hooded figures, each with their own red lightsabers.  
"People of Estanoki! It is time for your to voice your opinions. These three here want peace, hope, and want to uphold the laws of the Republic. While we offer you a more secure society, one led by the Sith. What say you?!" The crowd talked amongst themselves for a few moments, when one person walked over to Tevrez. Then another, then several more, and then the whole crowd was on the side of the Sith Tevrez."  
"Please people of Estanoki!" The Sith Knight yelled. "We are the good guys here! We are the ones that have been protecting you! These people are not Sith Knights, but rather Sith Lords! Please, do the right thing."  
"We are doing the right thing!" Someone yelled in the crowd. "Destroying the system that let us suffer and rot!" The crowd screamed in agreement with him. The Sith Lords all smirked and were about to charge the Sith Knights, when Thomas jumped down from his perch, landed right in between the two sides, and launched a tremendous force-push to knock the crowds back and knock the Sith Lords off guard. He drew his two lightsabers and rushed towards one of the Sith Lords he had knocked completely over, and stabbed him quickly. He turned to face his other opponents but then he saw the Sith Knights had joined the frey and had begun battling the Sith Lords. Thomas joined the fray with one of the Sith Knights that was going one-on-one with Tevrez. They clashed, and seemed to have the upper hand when the other Sith Knights killed the other Sith Lord and greatly outnumbered Tevrez. Thomas was about to strike the final blow when another Sith Lord came out of nowhere and fought off one of the Sith Knights. Then another Sith Lord showed up, then two more. Thomas made short work of the one he was battling, then took on Tevrez once again.  
"So, it would seem that the Jedi Council was right about there being a parasite within the Sith Knights. Well now is the time for us to exterminate that parasite." Their lightsabers clashed back and forth leading them to battle on top of landspeeders parked in the street, while crashing into stores from time to time leading up to the roof of a grocery store. At that moment, a great noise boomed out of the sky. Thomas looked up and saw several ships dropping out of hyperspace and attacking the embassy. People were jumping out of bombing doors and attacking the few Republic troopers that were on hand, and then several Sith Lords appeared and began attacking the Sith Knights.  
"You see Jedi? You have already lost. This world is ours, as is all the outer-rim territories. Even now, the ships of the Sith Empire return once again to take what is ours, and begin to bring order to the galaxy. The Sith Lords have returned. The Sith Knights are dead." Tevrez started laughing when a red lightsaber stabbed him from behind revealing a Sith Knight standing right behind him.  
"Jedi. I trust you have a fast ship?"  
"I only have one. And it's a one-man fighter."  
"Good. We have ships of our own. And we could always steal a few. You need to escape and tell the Jedi what you have seen here today. Tell them the Sith Lords have risen again, and that the remaining Sith Knights loyal to the Republic will soon arrive on Courascant." Thomas nodded, and quickly made his way to the outskirts of the city to where his ship was. He had to sneak past a few patrols of Sith Troopers and hop into his ship. As he got out of the planets atmosphere, he saw a whole multitude of ships attacking the planet. He had to do some trick flying to get past all the guns of the enemy star destroyers. A few tie fighters got on his tail, but he had already jumped into hyperspace before they could blast him into space dust. As the auto-pilot took over, he let out a big gasp, then realized that he should contact the Jedi Council. He grabbed his radio receiver, then brodcasted a message.  
"Thomas Watson, Jedi Knight, reporting on mission to Estanoki. Sith Lords have returned. I repeat, the Sith Lords have returned."

Chapter 9

Plans of War

Thomas landed his ship in the docking bay and several Jedi and security troopers appeared and began escorting him to the Jedi High Council room. Once he got into the room, the windows closed and a sensor droid swept the room for possible hidden microphones. Thomas sat himself down as several other Jedi entered the room and were scanned. As they all sat down, Thomas told them everything that happened on Estanoki. They all pondered this with great concern.  
"We should let the chancellor know about this. He will prepare the state troopers and we will prepare the troopers here in the Jedi Council. Then we will take back the outer rim territories." one of the master said.  
"Fool. The chancellor will not help us. He tried to hide the existence of the Sith Lords from the state, and told us to stand down. It is more than likely he is working with them." Another said.  
"Impossible." Master Kenobi said. "The Chancellor would never give up the outer rim territories to a small band of Sith Lords."  
"Unfortunately, they are not as small as they used to be." Said Thomas. "As I mentioned before, they have a huge army and a lot of them are Sith Lords. And I also saw they had troopers of their own. This isn't just some small scale riot. This is an all out war. An attack on the Republic itself." The room fell silent. Then master Elzan spoke up.  
"Help us, the chancellor will not. Act smart we must. Raise awareness about this to the people we must. Stand by us they will, and no choice, will the chancellor have. Help, we will receive."  
"But master, if the chancellor has been working with the Sith Lords, won't that mean that the state might be in on this plot as well, leaving us to be the scapegoats for what happened. Or he might even blame the Sith Knights for this plot. I mean, I know the public respects us, but they don't turn to us for important information across the galaxy. They turn to the news issued by the state. They will either say nothing has happened, some disease has broken out, or blame somebody else for this whole mess. We can't beat the state in this case scenario. I think that we should take in the Sith Knight refugees and fight back against the Sith Lords behind the backs of the state."  
"Don't jump to conclusions as if you belong here earthman!" Master Kenobi yelled. "You are only on this council because you saw what transpired on Estanoki! Personally, I think that the council would be willing to kick you out of the Jedi Order if not for this event!"  
"Master Kenobi! You are out of line! Sit down or you will be excused from the chamber!" yelled one of the masters. Master Kenobi sat himself down, still fuming a bit. Thomas made sure not to look his way, and focused back on the meeting.  
"The Sith Knight that saved my life said that all Sith Knights loyal to the Republic would be arriving on Courascant soon. So I think it would be wise for us to set up a diversion to keep the state off their scent until they get inside the Jedi Temple." The Jedi pondered this for a few seconds, then Master Fulson stood up and said,  
"I agree with this plan. Anybody have any other ideas?" There was silence for half a minute, and nobody spoke up.  
"Very well then. We shall prepare to smuggle the Sith Knights into the Jedi Temple." Everybody stood up and made their way out of the room. Orders were being given left and right. Troopers started tuning in to atmosphere traffic control, Jedi preparing living quarters, and padawans whispering. Thomas was given several orders as well, but then received an order from one of the masters. He was to try and sneak into the chancellor's office and place a spy bug. Thomas hopped into one of the Jedi's undercover speeders and made his way to the Senate office. He had to apply a special face camouflage program in order to get past the face scanners without being identified. As he entered the building, he launched a tiny scouting droid to hack into the systems cameras to make sure that nobody noticed him. They couldn't run the risk of having a droid place the bug because the droid detection devices in the chancellors office might go off. As Thomas made his way through the building, he got a notification from the droids charging station that it had accomplished its task. Thomas quickly made his way to where the chancellors office was, and was confronted by a few troopers by the door.  
"Identification please sir."  
"You don't need to see my identification."  
"I don't need to see your identification."  
"You haven't seen anybody here for the last hour."  
"I haven't seen anybody for the last hour."  
"The same goes for you to." Thomas said to the other trooper.  
"The same goes for me to." Thomas opened the doors using the force and made his way into the chancellors office. As he looked around, he realized that not even the chancellor himself was there. This made his job all the easier. He looked around, and decided the safest place to put the bug was on the chancellors chair. He placed the bug, then sent a signal out to his speeder to park right outside one of the windows in the office. A little message flashed back and told him to be ready in about two minutes. Thomas paced back and forth. Even though it was a short time, it felt like forevor. Suddenly, he got a blip from the charging station of the droid in the security room. A holo-message appeared in front of Thomas saying,  
"Chancellor identified. Moving towards your location. Estimated arrival time, thirty seconds."  
"Anyone with him."  
"One tall hooded man. Unidentifiable." Thomas immediately thought this might be somebody working with the Sith Lords. He activated his cloaking device, sent a signal to the speeder to wait for his orders, and ducked into a shadowy corner close to the chancellor's desk. The door slid open, and Chancellor Sempti and his mysterious friend walked in.  
"Sempti, I told you. You need to upgrade the helmets of your troopers. I just did a mind trick and they both fell for it. This gives the Jedi an advantage we cannot allow."  
"An advantage? An advantage for what? I told you already, I will shut down the Jedi Council from action to make sure that you will not face any retaliation anywhere in the outer-rim territories. Your only business here is to give me the information I desire."  
"Oh, I don't think so fool. You see, we faced resistance on Estanoki. From a Jedi." Sempti took a few steps back.  
"What...? But, but, I made sure that there would be no such thing! I kept tabs on all registered ships of the Jedi! I kept a close eye on the logs! No Jedi has left the planet or gone to any of the outer-rim territories without my knowledge! I would have known about this!"  
"Well you didn't. According to one of my Sith Lords, I lost one of my lieutenants to a Jedi Knight on the planet Estanoki. And another interesting thing I found out." He walked over to the computer on the chancellor's desk and pulled up a log.  
"I notice that you gave a specific mission to the Jedi to exterminate Sith Knights on the planet Estanoki. Your orders were to send each and every Jedi somewhere other than the outer-rim territories. Rather convenient, don't you think? That on the day of the invasion, a Jedi is just perfectly placed on Estanoki."  
"I...I didn't know how big your army was. So I figured I could figure it out with a low ranking Jedi investigating and then..."  
"Enough excuses. You have broken our arrangement. And now, I will break mine."  
"What are you saying?"  
"Now that I have lost a soldier of war, it is only proper I avenge him. The Sith Lords will now begin the conquest of the galaxy."  
"WHAT?! But...you can't...generations of peace...you would destroy it all?!"  
"Fool. I never intended on keeping my end of the bargain in the first place. Now, I have a justified reason when my armies take over Courascant. But first, you will die." The Sith Lord drew his lightsaber and raised it over the chancellor's head. But then he quickly turned around and rushed right to where Thomas was hiding. He jumped out of the way and tried to stay in the shadows.  
"No point in hiding Jedi. I know you are here. Face me, and die." Thomas grabbed his lightsaber hilts, but remained cloaked to gain the upper hand. He used different force techniques to throw him off, then when he felt he had the advantage, he activated his lightsabers and went in for the kill. But then the Sith Lord jumped right out of the way and parried the blow. He used a single-bladed two-handed blade, and was very skilled with it. The two of them clashed across the whole chamber, even slashing the chancellor's desk in half. As they were fighting, several troopers came in and prepared their blasters.  
"Attention Darth Miyata! You are under arrest for the attack on the outer-rim territories and assault on the chancellor and a Jedi Knight." The Sith Lord laughed and used a force push to knock all the troopers off their feet. Thomas tried to take this chance to strike him down, but he parried with relative ease only using one hand. The two of them continued to go back and forth, but then as time went on, Thomas realized more and more that he was very outclassed. He decided to try and risk one last gamble with a frontal charge, but then one of the windows exploded and glass flew everywhere. Thomas looked outside and saw a small two-man fighter right outside the window. Darth Miyata jumped out and landed in one of the open cockpits, and the ship flew off. Thomas tapped a button on his wrist watch and jumped out the window. He fell about a story when he landed perfectly in his speeder. He activated the thrusters and began his pursuit. This time, he made sure to memorize the ship he was after, but after following them for a short time, they pulled straight upwards. Thomas realized they were heading for the atmosphere and to leave the planet. He put his speeder to maximum power in hopes of catching it, but when his air supply became weaker and weaker, he had to back down. Then he saw several state trooper ships pursing it, but Thomas realized it was already too late. The enemy was either right on their doorstep or preparing to attack. He quickly went back to the chancellor's office and found him talking to several troopers. When he saw Thomas step in through the window, he told the troopers to wait outside.

"I won't resist you Jedi. It is all my fault. Darth Miyata came to me and threatened me and the Republic with a war of which hasn't been seen since the first Clone Wars. He said that all he would take was the outer-rim territories and then he would leave the rest alone. I didn't trust him completely. That's why I sent a Jedi out to Estanoki to try and scout the scale of the army. I didn't know if he was planning on a small scale takeover or an all out invasion. Now I know I guess. Please master Jedi, allow me to make amends with one last executive command before stepping down as chancellor. To have control of the state troopers be given directly to the Jedi Order so that they may fight this upcoming war with all the help they can get." Chancellor Sempti rose, then handed himself over to the troopers right outside the door. As he walked off, Thomas was still trying to put all of the pieces together in his mind. And he was also wondering why the Sith Lords hadn't begun their invasion yet.

The ship approached a large convoy in orbit of a nearby planet. It made its landing procedure and put down the ramp. A trooper walked up to the bottom of the ramp and got down on one knee.  
"Lord Miyata. Welcome back." He rose to his feet. "What are your orders?"  
"For now, we wait. The seeds have been planted in the garden. All we have to do is wait for them to grow into full bloom. Then we will take Courascant, the state and the Jedi in one fell swoop. And when they fall, the rest of the galaxy will have little power to deny us what is rightfully mine."  
"Yes my lord."

Chapter 10

Flames of War

Thomas finished packing his things and made his way towards one of the newly re-issued Star Destroyers for fighting against the Sith Lords. It had been a few weeks since his battle with Darth Miyata, and everything had been hectic. To increase strength in numbers, exceptional students from the Jedi University were encouraged to graduate early, and clone troopers were being processed even faster than the third Clone Wars. State and Jedi troopers were needed in order to fight off the newest threat to the Galaxy. The Senate decided that in light of the events that had transpired with the Chancellor being corrupt, they would elect a new chancellor, but emergency powers would be granted to the Jedi Council. This way, the battle would be kept between the Jedi and the Sith Lords, and the state could focus on keeping order across the galaxy. The Sith Knights were given full pardons for false crimes and hailed as war heroes for their bravery against the attack on the outer-rim territories. They were all given their own quarters in the Jedi temple, as well as new lightsabers as to not confuse them with the enemy. Each Jedi who had been granted the rank of at least Knight was given a division of troopers, starfighters, and land equipment. Thomas, being a newly imitated Jedi Knight, was given the task of being a second in command to Master Elzan on his ship. He was told that after about a few months on the battlefield he could come back, train a padawan, and gain a fleet of his own. Thomas wasn't super excited about the idea of being a war horse, but being a Jedi was the job he signed up for, so he seemed to have no choice in the matter. He hoped onto a hovercart that was carrying a few troopers to the Star Destroyer he was heading for. Thomas started some small talk with the troopers on the cart, and managed to lighten the mood a little bit. Ever since the first clone wars, troopers had been created from the DNA of bounty hunter Jango Fett, then they also added the DNA of important people such as Han Solo, Lando Calrisian, and many other heroes from across the history of the galaxy. All for the purpose of improving the safeties within troopers. To ensure that something like the Fall of the Jedi never happened again, clones were programed to only obey those in authority, and no one had the ability to order the death of somebody who gives orders. So a Jedi couldn't order the death of a senate member and vice versa. Also, the troopers overtime were given more and more freedom for their personalities to help make sure that clone-rights activists didn't get too upset. Thomas hopped off the cart and boarded the ship. He saw his fighter being loaded in one of the hangers on the side of the ship alongside old TIE fighters and X-Wing fighters re-issued from the makers. He hoped into one of the many transport trains across the ship and made his way to the bridge. As he got out, he saw several trooper generals briefing Master Elzan on what they were going to do. As Thomas approached them, Master Elzan pointed at him, then went over to the helm of the ship. Thomas, a little confused, was about to go after him.  
"Your master has requested that we tell you what the plans are sir Jedi." One of the troopers said.  
"All right, and my the way, my name is Thomas."  
"Thomas? I'll just call you commander. As for me, my operating name is H-5263. But I just go by Flyguy."  
"That for a specific reason or just an inside joke?"  
"Mainly an inside joke. I'm the captain of the fighter squad of hanger 3, and our group is kind of known for our trick flying during training. But enough of that. On to the plans. The Jedi Council thinks that it would be wise to remove the power of the Sith Lords before everything gets out of balance and we are the ones trying to hide with what we have. So us and about 20 other Star Destroyers are going to launch an invasion on the planet Shromar. One of the few outer-rim territories that actually put up a fight when the Sith Lords landed. We haven't heard anything from them or the enemy yet, but some of the probe droids we snuck in showed that there are still skirmishes between the Sith Lords and the local law enforcement. We don't know how much resistance we might get from the Sith Lords in orbit or once we reach the atmosphere, but it is more than likely that we will have our work cut out for us once we land on the surface. Master Elzan wishes for you to be a part of the initial assault with the fighters and plans on having you possibly join the fray at a later time. If that does come to pass, you have been issued squad 24, a strong team of troopers that can get the job done. I won't guarantee anything just yet. After all, it has been a millennium since the last time troopers had to go into combat."  
"I trust you Flyguy. Am I correct to assume that you will be accompanying me when the fighters begin their attack on any ships in orbit?"  
"Yes commander. If you will follow me please," He motioned Thomas over to one of the situation rooms where they had holograms of the planet up and running as well as small figures representing the ships of the Jedi.  
"Our group of fighters will not launch until after hangers 1 and 2 from each of the front lines of Star Destroyers launch into action. Then we go in and clean up whatever is left in orbit, then we lead the charge into the atmosphere. After that is completed, we will fall back into orbit and dock back on our respective Star Destroyers. Trooper pilots will then stay on the ship, but since you are a Jedi, it is more than likely that you will hop onto one of the last few troop transports to the surface and help with the land assault." A light then started flashing, and Thomas felt the ship begin to rumble beneath his feat as the Star Destroyer took off. Since this was one of the newer models of the Star Destroyer, the number of people it required to pilot it had been reduced to a whooping number of two people. Multiple Anti Spacecraft guns were mounted across the ship, as well as the latest in hyperdrive engine technology. Back when it was first invented, most ships had to do calculations by hand. Nowadays, charts were predetermined by planet systems and satellites around asteroid fields. As the Star Destroyer cleared orbit of Courascant, they made the jump into hyperspace. Thomas wasn't phased by the small lurch that came with the jump to hyperspace since he had developed a resistance to it having to do multiple trips from Courascant to Earth. He looked over at the troopers and noticed that they had nearly fallen over when the ship lurched. He chuckled at this a little bit, then helped them get their bearings again.  
"Thanks for that commander. Now then, you and I will lead the fighters from hanger 3 into battle. Everybody has a specific title in accordance with the ship. For example, fighters in TIE Fighters are Gray, X-Wing Fighters are Red, Y-Wings are Yellow, and Jedi Fighters are Gold. So your wing name is 3 Gold Leader and my name since I am the hanger commander is 3 Red Leader. 3 for the hanger number, the color for ship, and then your rank. A normal fighter might have a wing name like 3 Gray 7. The pilot will let us know when we are approaching Shromar, then we will board our ships. For us, it is not as much a rush because we will be going out later than the other fighters, but it is still wise to be prepared as quickly as possible. And with the speed of hyperdrive engines, that might be sooner than you might expect. Now if you will excuse me, me and my second here have some business to attend to." With that said, Flyguy and the other trooper made their way towards one of the train stops and hopped on a train for the hangers. Thomas made his way to the main window of the bridge and gazed out at the stars and planets whizzing by faster than the blink of an eye. He didn't think for the life of him that he would ever have to fight in a war. Something like that seemed like an old tale for the members of the Jedi Council who lived for a very very long time. Even though he felt this, he was also excited that he would be able to do more good for the Galaxy beyond what he was doing on Courascant for the last few years. Master Elzan walked up next to him and gazed out the window as well. There was no need for words. What was about to happen was something that had not been seen by the Republic for a millennium. Now was the time to remain focused and not to try and lighten the mood. Now was the time for war.


End file.
